Episode Clips

When we began, we did not plan to start a movement. We wanted to make sense of what we were learning as parents. Early on, every appointment focused on what Liam might not do, rather than what he could do with support. We looked for voices that offered perspective and encouragement. Finding few, we decided to record our own.

Each episode is structured around a single topic. We have covered medical updates, inclusive education, communication, advocacy in schools, and the transition to adulthood. We approach every conversation as parents asking questions, not experts delivering answers. Over time, the audience has grown into a community that includes families, teachers and professionals who use the podcast to learn from one another.

Listeners often contact us to say that the podcast helped them during the first days after receiving a diagnosis. Some teachers have written that the interviews helped them adjust classroom practices to better include students with intellectual disabilities. These specific outcomes show the impact that open and factual discussion can have.

Advocacy on our podcast focuses on practical changes. We address how to prepare for Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings, how to communicate with healthcare providers, how to navigate social situations that can exclude people with disabilities and our realization that living a life with Down syndrome in it, may quite possibly be the best thing to happen to our entire family.

The goal is to replace assumptions with information. For example, speech and occupational therapists have described the importance of early intervention programs backed by research. Self-advocates have discussed how workplace inclusion improves both independence and confidence. Parents have shared how support networks reduce isolation and increase access to accurate resources.

The stories collected through If We Knew Then form a record of how Down syndrome advocacy continues to change. Decades ago, most children with Down syndrome were not included in general education classrooms. Now, federal law and better understanding of differentiated instruction have made inclusion more common. Hearing firsthand accounts of this progress helps new families understand what is possible.

The name If We Knew Then came from a conversation about hindsight. We often thought about what we would have done differently if we had known more in the beginning. We would have pushed sooner for inclusion and worried less about milestones set by comparison rather than need.

Through the podcast, we continue to learn from others who share that same reflection. Parents speak honestly about uncertainty after diagnosis. Educators explain methods that lead to student progress. Doctors describe how life expectancy and quality of care have improved over the past few decades and people with Down syndrome share their true experiences.

Concrete facts that replace old fears with knowledge.

We know now that advocacy is most effective when it starts with accurate information and cooperation among families, professionals and self-advocates. That belief shapes every episode we record.

If We Knew Then is available on all major podcast platforms. Each episode is ad-free and open to anyone interested in Down syndrome, inclusive education or family advocacy. We continue to record from our home in California and produce new episodes several times each month.

Our purpose remains clear: to provide accurate information, document lived experiences and encourage inclusion in schools and communities. By sharing practical advice and real examples, we hope to motivate our community to be the authors of their own stories and let the past misperceptions and stereotypes fade away.